Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Hands On: Del Toro Shoes

In a perfect word, if you've got the cojones to wear Prince Albert slippers there should be nothing standing in your way. Unfortunately that's not always the case. Bespoke versions can cost upwards of $600 and even brands like Stubbs & Wootton, who have made the shoe style more accessible in recent years, still charge around $400. Thankfully, Del Toro Shoes has taken matters into their own hands. Alleviating price barriers has always been Del Toro's M.O. When its founders were attending boarding school they decided against paying the exorbitant fee for their school's own embroidered slippers and decided it was time they make their own. Del Toro's slippers are made outside of Madrid, Spain and come in a variety of takes on the iconic Prince Albert style. Unlike most formal slippers on the market these come fully lined in leather lending themselves to everyday wear if you were so inclined to do just that. And that's really what Del Toro is pushing. They've raised the vamp on their slipper and tweaked it to make their offerings much more analogous to a loafer than anything else - just remember to order up a half size. This attention to detail enables Del Toro's shoes to transition much more easily into your wardrobe.

I recently got my hands on a Lapo-esque sample of linen slippers from Del Toro and was immediately surprised just how damn comfortable they really are. The construction was extremely solid despite the almost weightless quality of the slippers. While red linen probably isn't the best choice for this time of year, Del Toro offers a classic model in velvet that is a much better bet for F/W. In fact, when it comes to slippers I'm thinking the more subdued, the better. The last thing you want to do is draw even more attention to your feet. Whether for around the house knockabouts, formal occasions or everyday wear, Del Toro shoes have truly opened up a whole new market for formal slippers and that's really the most impressive thing. Nobility not included with purchase.

18 comments:

LAS, I'm curious whether you've thought about how you're going to approach the increased amount of notoriety you're getting vis a vis your readers' trust, authenticity, blah blah blah, &c. People who've read from the beginning will, at least for a while, give you the benefit of the doubt when you receive free products and then write them up. But it seems like we're seeing more and more reviews of products that have been comped and/or sent directly from the marketing departments of the brands in question. If you receive other stuff and decline to write about it, we obviously have no idea. I imagine this happens, but who knows. To my knowledge we also haven't seen a negative review of something that was comped either (yes, I know the blog's only a year old). I was kind of expecting a bit harsher review of those ridiculously overpriced Rugby jeans, for instance. But that's obviously a bit more difficult to do when somebody's actually sent you a pair.

I'm not trying to impugn your integrity here, just curious whether you've thought about these things and how you're dealing/going to deal with them. Because I do really like the blog & Tumblr.

Dave- I decline any products from brands I do not support and do not enjoy personally. Also, if something is sent to me that I do not like then it does not get written about. The reasons you don't see negative reviews on Sart Inc is because I don't waist my time writing about shit I think sucks.

While the Rugby jeans might have been overpriced (I, myself, do not have $400 to spend on jeans), I loved the details and the fact that they were sourced and made in the USA, hence the write up.

In all seriousness though, where else would you see a review of those Rugby joints and these slippers? I don't mind this turn to the eclectic whether there may be a conflict of interest as long as it is interesting stuff.

I have to agree that there is an obvious credibility issue. Yes, it's only entertainment, but it's important to at least explicitly disclose such an obvious conflict when publishing a hands-on review. Then the reader can make his or her own judgment as to the credibility of the review. Caveat lector.

L.A.S. - Never intended to impugn your integrity, and you're right, I guess it's clear enough that the slippers were comped. As someone else noted, with more success (and more comps) will come greater scrutiny. I've been enjoying the blog!